Ciliary force-responsive striated fibers promote basal body connections and cortical interactions

Abstract

Soh et al. study the organization of Tetrahymena ciliary arrays. Basal body–associated striated fibers organize motile cilia by promoting basal body orientation, reorientation, and resistance to ciliary forces. To do so, striated fiber length is modulated to ensure connections between neighboring basal bodies and to the cell cortex.